buy a new Valentine reel. Last falls albie season convinced me of the need for a top of the line reel. I looked around and am 90% settled on a Valentine for a 10/11 wt. A good friend has owned one for 16 yrs. and swears by it. I also like the stationary spool on the line out plus the spool revolves 3 times for every 2 cranks of the handle. At Marlboro I asked everyone, "Why should I buy yours" and came away unimpressed. Got the cash and unless someone comes up with a good reason not to I`ll buy one on Sun.
Slinger

I have an older, no longer made, "multiplier", and I love it. Not a Valentine, but a good reel. Although it is a 6-wt., and I use it with a 6-weight rod, it handles browns and steelies very well!

Most people don't realize the advantages of a multiplier. I took 3 reels, all of approx. the same diameter, filled with backing and the same brand fly line. (Note: the large arbor had a wider spool.) A large arbor, my multiplier, and a standard reel. Went to a football field, and took out 100 yards of line/backing, and proceeded to measure number of turns (cranks) to get each 10 yards of line back for the total 100 yards.

Out to 60 yards, the multiplier was the clear winner.
At 60 yards, the large arbor caught up, and was better out to 100 yards.
The standard finished last.

One thing to note - for the first 30 yards (normal "fly line length"), there really wasn't that much difference between all three! Yeah, the multiplier was A LITTLE better than the large arbor, and the LA was a LITTLE better than the standard, but overall, you wouldn't notice the difference if you were really excited and playing a big steelie, cranking on the reel. That was probably due to the greater diameter of the fly line (and thus, the diameter of the "spool" (backing + line) filling the spool quickly.

I still love my multiplier, and use it often. Yeah, I still have LAs and standards, and use them on specialty rods, as well. But the multiplier is my special favorite.

Steve,
I will play devils advocate for you on this one. To me, flyfishing is about the means, not the end. With the exception of maybe BFT or other large bluewater species I am all for a traditional direct drive. Bruised knuckles are part of the enjoyment. Just my .02. With that said I am all for a quality reel that I can beat on and the drag will act the same regardless of conditions.

Steve, i like direct drives..I seem to have more control over the fish during a fight and especially while landing... I do have a Pate Multiplier but that's it... The Valentines are old brand that is always reliable.. there are acouple of "old" guides on the Cape who always use their Valentines.

I am a fan of the direct drive as well. You probably have an advantage with the multiplier for picking up loose line off the deck of a boat, but I enjoy the traditional style like Sean.

If I may make a suggestion, check out the Lamson Velocity V4. I bought one last year and t takes a beating, requires about zero maintenance and has the drag to handle everything from Stripers to Hardtails to 30# bruiser king salmon with ease.

10. Can't palm it
9. Two years ago it was $ 200, then the next day it was $ 425.
8. Ancient design looks like it was lifted out of the dumpster behind the Hardy factory in 1918
7. Overpriced by about two-hundred dollars
6. There are about 128 better reels for the money
5. Stamped aluminum. That is right, it is made with the same high-tech manufacturing process that Old Milwaukee uses for can production.
4. Delrin drag, just like a high-end Martin!
3. Everything that is not stamped aluminum is plastic
2. Red metallic clashes with all known colors of Orvis Ascots
1. For the same money, you can buy an Abel Big Game or a Hayden and still have enough money left-over for a fly line and a 12-pack!

Spent the afternoon at the Den with about a dozen reels laid out in front of me, as number 5 would say gathering input. Backed off on the Valentine, considered the reel that ArtB was so excited about at the show, but it doesn`t come in a 10 wt, that was the Gilmore. 2 hours and about 10 opinions later I had Scott order a Loop for me, price kept rising. Into the third hour and 2 very savy charter captains convinced me that the Loop was to fragile for the kind of beating I was likely to give it, said the only way to go was the Riptide, the ante went up again. All the while Billy Pate and Able were getting support from some off the contributors. By 5 I was swamped and suffering a brain cramp. Then the best sugestion of the day came up. Get the Tibor, put a Bimini twist on the end of the backing and I can change lines with ease without going for the spare spool, the price will be the same as the Valentine with the spool. I`ve never spent that much on anything before, but I believe I`ll get the Riptide today.

If your origional question was, "Should I get a RipTide?", the answer from everyone that has ever fished with one would have been, "YES!".
That reel will be putting a smile on your face long after you have forgotten about the Visa bill.